Flood is everywhere in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), affecting 600,000 citizens already, the United Nations reported this week. UN has voiced their deep concern over the flooding noting that the rainy season is also expected to continue this month.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, released a statement reporting how heavy rains in the DRC have caused major floods in 12 of the 26 provinces of the country. According to him, 600,000 people are estimated to have been affected already.
The number is expected to increase as the water has not dried up.
Dujarric said the floods had caused significant material damage to houses and even loss of life.
UN has identified clean water, hygiene, sanitation, shelter, food, and health care among priority needs. Dujarric said physical access to many locations in DRC is limited, noting that the UN and other humanitarian partners continuously support the DRC government’s response efforts. The organization and its partners are providing urgent assistance like cash, water, sanitation kits, and nutrition.
Affected community members are currently hosted in government placed evacuation areas, and some sleep in public places such as schools or makeshift shelters. The UN has also reported that the flooded areas have damaged water points for clean water.
Flood and Cholera
In a related report, the United Nations Children’s Fund expressed concerns over cholera outbreaks due to the situation. The UNICEF’s Humanitarian Situation Report in November cited that floods in DRC have worsened the humanitarian context in the affected provinces and has posted a high rick in cholera outbreaks and diseases that cause diarrhea.
UNICEF reported more than 27,000 children affected by cholera as of last month.
Aside from Cholera, UNICEF also noted infectious diseases such as measles to be a concern. UNICEF stated that as of last month, 4,500 children under the age of five died of measles. In response to the outbreak, the organization said they had vaccinated more than 1 million children. The vaccination has started early this year.
The organization raised concerns about waterborne diseases because of the overflowing latrines and poor hygiene conditions.
War Makes It Worst
Despite the worst situation due to the flood, UNICEF said there is also intense fighting. The fighting has started between the Armed Forces of DRC and the armed forces in North Kivu, a province in DRC. UNICEF said there were more than 60 civilians killed in the attack, and 4,000 people took refuge from provinces Beni to Ituri.
Currently, there are already about 360,000 people taking refuge in Ituri.
